Starved Rock Lodge makes donation

OGLESBY — A check for $3,000 was recently presented to Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society by Starved Rock Lodge, as a result of several fundraising efforts during the month of October.

The first fundraiser of the month was “Hike for a Cure,” where participants made a donation and walked to the top of the Rock. Throughout the month, pink buckets were sold with cocktails or ice cream and a portion of the proceeds was donated along with a portion of the proceeds from an overnight package called “Think Pink for the Cure.” Lodge employees also donated to the cause every Friday in October when they were allowed to wear jeans and pink T-shirts with the “Hike for a cure” logo.

“We were so pleased with what we were able to do for this worthy cause,” said Lodge CEO Amy Trimble, “We’ve already set Oct.1, 2017, for the next Hike for a Cure!”

“The purpose of all of these events is to celebrate breast cancer survivors, help those in the fight and remember those we’ve lost,” said Aimee Holland of the Relay for Life team that works with the Utica Business Association.

Donations will go directly to the American Cancer Society office located in Batavia. “A large part of the money stays local,” according to Nancy Jackson, Relay team captain, “In 2015, 222 LaSalle County residents were helped. Seventy nights of lodging were provided at hotels and 87 nights at a HOPE Lodge. Plus, there are now two locations offering Look Good, Feel Better programs in LaSalle County, one at Valley Regional Cancer Center and the other in Ottawa. In addition, free wigs were provided along with personal health managers and free rides to treatment through the Road to Recovery program.